Bringing Him Back
by StonexHeart
Summary: After a strange epiphany, Amu heads to America to bring Ikuto home. Unfortuantly, on the way home, the group runs into a little trouble. /Summary changed/ Amu/Ikuto. Utau/Kukai. Rima/Nagihiko. Tadase/Yaya. AU.
1. Goodbye, For Now

Trip to America 

Omg! A fan fiction that's not Twilight or Teen Titans? O.o

Yes, Chrissy has written her very first Amuto story. Don't tease, I'm learning.

And I promise not to abandon this story in the cold winter. 

~Chrissy – Chan

P.S. I don't know where Ikuto leaves to go find his Father. I know I made it a bit different then the manga. It's my fan fiction; I can manipulate it if I want to.

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-Amu's Pov-

When did I get so dependent on him? When did Ikuto Tsukiyomi become my best friend? I didn't even care at this moment. All I knew was that I had to see him before he left for America. Ikuto had his own rights to leave. He could if he wanted to. That didn't mean I wouldn't miss him. He was a free bird, and I couldn't tie him down. What, did I expect him to stay just because we had been making progress in our friendship?

I drove erratically, ignoring all the time I spent in traffic school and basically every rule of the road. Red lights? Didn't matter. Honking horns of the irritated people? Could care less. There was only one thought on my mind, and that was to make it to the airport before Ikuto left my life for a long amount of time. Who knew how long, but I figured it wouldn't be a weekend trip. I couldn't help but shake slightly, afraid of how long it would take before I saw his face again...before I saw him smirk again…before I called him a pervert to his own face.

Somewhere along the years we spent together, I had grown used to the teasing. Used to the games he played. Used to everything he did. I wasn't sure when, or how it had happened, but I knew I was in deep with Ikuto. I wasn't quite sure if that was a bad thing, though.

I slammed down hard on the breaks of my silver, old-fashioned Volvo, wincing when the tires squealed. Drumming my fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, I watched a group of kindergarteners began to walk-did they have to be so slow?-across an intersection. I took the time I had to calm myself down. Filling with lungs with air, I breathed in deeply, closing my eyes so tightly I was in complete darkness. I realized at once that wasn't going to help. Maybe though, something else would…

Releasing one hand from the steering wheel in which I gripped so tightly, I slipped one hand inside my pocket, pulling out a trinket I've had for what feels like forever.

The Humpty Lock. I've had it since the first day my three guardian characters were hatched. Although - as I aged into the sixteen year old I am today - I lost my guardian characters, I retained this part of my past life. The small think seemed harmless to all that saw it, but I knew better. In it held deep secrets that even I had yet to figure out. I had been destined to hold the lock since I was born. Or, more so, my heart's egg was born. I didn't know how long I would hold it, what I would do with it when I died, I only knew one thing for sure.

That the Dumpty Key was the only thing able to open the lock. It was owned by the nineteen year old half-boy, half-man I was rushing to see. He was always extremely protective of the Key. Basically, if you touched the key, even if you were a good friend of his, you better watch out. Unless you're suicidal or insane, I highly advise not to even think of going anywhere near the Key. He took it wherever he went, in a pocket, strapped to his violin case, whatever it was; it was almost always in sight.

I had questioned him time and time again, always inquiring about why he would act in such a way, but he would simply change the subject. I knew I could be annoying when I was persistent, so I used that tactic when I was younger. Poking, prodding, the puppy dog eyes, whatever it took I would try to get him to spill his guts. Nothing. Nothing ever. I had to give him credit, he was strong.

I clenched my fist around the object, probably indenting some of its many glittering facets in my hand, but I didn't care. I could hardly feel anything at this moment besides anxiety. I would make it. I would make it. I had to. Holding the Lock close to my heart, I slammed on the gas pedal – once the extremely line of kindergarteners were clear – and set off again for the airport.

Driving one handedly, I glided smoothly through the lines of traffic. Eventually I saw that the afternoon congestion was moving to the side. I doubted it was for me, but I took the chance I got. I slammed – once again – on the gas pedal as my car burst forward in a sudden bout of speed. From the side of the road, I saw road work going on. Ah, so that was why the traffic had moved to the left. That also explained why the road had suddenly gotten so bumpy.

There was the sign for the airport entrance! I turned a hard right, paint on one side of the car getting severely scratched from a guardrail, and continued to press forward. It wouldn't be long now. The lanes became more and more congested as the weekend traffic trickled in. He had to leave on a Friday. Stubborn fool. My hands itched to honk the horn, though I knew it wouldn't do any good. I gripped the Lock even _tighter_, the knuckles on my hand turning white. _Calm._

Now the next challenge; to find a parking space. I pulled into a white zone, a zone meant for unloading and loading – not parking – and turned of the ignition. I could vaguely hear security yelling at me from afar, but I couldn't register what they were saying. Let them tow the car. I snatched up the key, shoving it – along with the Lock – into my jacket pocket, and burst through the entrance to the airport.

Checking the board, my eyes frantically scanned for the flight to America. It would be leaving at five thirty, it said. It was still hear, at least, but I didn't have the time to check my watch. Besides, I didn't even want to know how little time I had. Breaking into a sprint, I quickly made my way to the 'out of the country' flights.

Wait, did Utau say Ikuto would be at Gate 6 or 7? I stopped in the middle of an intersection, two ways forking off into separate directions. I closed my eyes in anger, letting the despair wash over me for a second, and then pushing it back. This was no time to act like a baby. I concentrated, putting my index fingers to my temples and rubbing them as the people shouting, laughing, and crying ceased to exist.

_- Earlier - _

"Utau? Tadase?" I asked in a panic, staring at each of my friends faces in turn. Their eyes held no hint of joking around. I clenched my fist in anger as something grabbed at my heart. How could he just _leave_? How could he leave without even _TELLING_ me? There was a reason, there had to be. There was a reason to everything.

"You can still go see him off," suggested Utau quietly. She knew there was something up with me. She knew how close I had gotten to her brother. And strangely, I think she approved. I think she finally moved on from the crush she had on Ikuto for so many years. That was why it didn't shock me when she said, "It's Gate 6. The flight leaves in thirty minutes."

Somehow, I knew it was the correct info. So I didn't stop to double check the airport's website. I trusted her to help me out. Guess somewhere along the way, we became friends too. So I simply grabbed my jacket off the chair it was hung on, and ran to the car I had gotten from my parents for my sixteenth birthday.

I knew, from past experiences flying on an airplane, that it'd take fifty minutes to make it to the airport. Strangely, the thought didn't slow me down. In fact, I believe it actually sped me up. Utau and Tadase didn't try to stop me – or come with me, for that matter. Good. They were smart. I would get a chance to see Ikuto. The car revved below me as I raced against the clock to make it where I needed to go. I didn't care how many tickets I got, how much trouble I got in, whatever it took…

_- Present - _

"_Gate 6," _I thought to myself, running into the corresponding hall. I pushed through the masses, feeling them giving way. My eyes scanned the crowd frantically, searching for a familiar face. What if he had already left? Every face, the same one after another, was repeated among the crowd. Where was the one that stood out? Thinking back to when I saw him this morning – I hope he didn't change clothes – I remembered the jacket he wore. Black leather, edges tipped off in blue, I recalled. I would concentrate on that feature, search for that.

"Ikuto!" I called uselessly, my small voice dying out in the hustle and bustle of the airport. I continued to run, tears sparking to my eyes as I began to think of defeat. Was I too late? The end of the hall now, I was at the security gate. I stopped, catching my breath, as I scanned the line with scrutiny.

There was the jacket! I mean, there he was! I pushed through the crowd, sometimes getting pushed back, as I made my way towards the front of the line. Sometimes, I was able to crawl underneath to avoid pushing. Being short had its benefits at times. Crawling under the red wires that kept the line straight an in control, I was able to shave a few seconds off my time.

Ikuto's back jerked up – from what I could see from crouching – as I got closer. He took longer to check through, I suppose, because all of the metal. Same old rebellious Ikuto. He turned around swiftly, gracefully, to look at me. When he saw me, did his eyes lighten? It was hard to tell, I was still too far away. One thing I could see from where I was now was his infamous smirk. I was beginning to get the feeling that it was permanently etched into his face. Standing up, I didn't take my eyes off him for a moment. If I did, he might disappear.

He closed the distance between us easily, taking a few strides with his long legs, and then before I knew it, I was two feet away from him. I stared at him. He stared at me. Some would say this was romantic, but really, I just couldn't think of anything to say. Good luck with your Pops? Come back soon?

What I was thinking, I didn't know. I simply threw my arms around his neck, jumping up slightly to reach there. I tried to convey what I was thinking into the hug, and I think he got it. Well, maybe. Sometimes it was hard to tell with Ikuto. I felt his arms wrap around me in response, and they felt nice. Warm.

"I'll be back soon," he murmured in my ear, letting go of me. I figured that was my cue to let go. Yet, my muscles didn't listen. I heard him chuckle his famous, carefree laugh as he grabbed my wrists and pinned them to my sides. Damn, he was strong.

He hesitated for a second, turning to face me. I only vaguely noticed that people had begun to move in the line through the security gate. The cops had begun to wave them through, making a circle around us. I thought to mention this to Ikuto, but the thought died before I could get it out.

He opened his mouth to say something, decision not present in his beautiful, midnight blue eyes. He needed to gather his thoughts, I could tell. I let him do so in silence as I memorized his face. How long would I go without seeing it? Maybe I should have brought a camera.

Blue eyes, hair to match, and an unbelievably devilish grin was always on his face. His features were mature, those of an adult instead of just a teenager. Usually - no, always - his eyes sparkled. Today was no different; even though his eyes also held secrets in them. Secrets I wanted to decode, but knew they were his not mine.

I saw the corner of his mouth twitch into a crooked, half-grin as he noticed my expression. It was probably glazed over, by now.

"Goodbye, Amu," he said finally, turning to face the security gate, and then simply...leaving. And with that, the moment was over. I couldn't even make myself say good bye. How strange, I thought Ikuto was going to tell me something personal.

I walked in a slight daze, back to the parking lot. What was it he wanted to tell me? I was probably too impatient to learn what was on his brain, but that's just the kind of person I am. He knew what kind of person I was. So was he purposely trying to annoy me?

Sighing deeply, I mechanically made my way to my parking spot. Amazingly, it hadn't been towed.

I pulled out of the airport entrance as I made a quick decision. I was in no mood

to go home, to hang out with friends, or even to listen to music. But I was in the mood to go one place. So, I drove along the highway, in a different direction from which I came. The path I took was well known to me, and I was there in no more than ten minutes. It was Ikuto's place.

Well, not really Ikuto's place. It was a grassy, soft, beautiful meadow basically. He spent a lot of his time there, lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. I asked him multiple times what he was thinking of as he stared at the sky, but all he said was 'life.' I lay upon a patch that looked worn and partially brown. It stood out among the perfect green of the rest of the meadow. I figured this was the part where Ikuto sat the most.

By now it was dark, so I was starring into the dark, night time sky, taking in all the stars and beauty of it. The sky was huge. It stretched from one end of the world to the other. Everyone in the world saw the same sky; every one in the world was connected. Just because I was thousands of miles away from Ikuto, it didn't mean he stopped being my friend. We were still connected. We were still under the same sky.

I'd see him someday, again. And if not, I'd simply bring him home myself. It was what I'd do for all of my friends. Besides, I sure wanted to know what Ikuto had kept hidden. I could imagine what he'd say now, if I was talking to him instead of lying alone in the grass.

It'd probably go something like, 'Silly little Amu, ever so impatient.' Then I would pout, as to which Ikuto would always laugh. He'd tell me to wipe the pout off my face, because it simply wasn't cute.

God, I missed him.

So, I closed my eyes, as I slipped a hand in my pocket. The Humpty Lock was still there. I was still connected to Ikuto. So, I smiled into unconsciousness, ready for this world to be replaced by the land of dreams.

That night, I dreamt of Ikuto.

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So, what do you think? Please review! I know it's kind of boring, but they'll be plenty later. Tata for now!

~Chrissy – Chan


	2. A Startling Dream

Bringing Him Back

Chapter Two

"A Startling Dream"

Thank the fact that I went to Florida on vacation for the fact that I'm updating. I have about eight hours ahead of me, so, why don't I update you guys? You are welcome. ;)

Ahh!! I'm sorry!! It's been so long since I updated! I promise to improve!

A/N; this is still in Amu's POV.

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My eyes snapped open in irritation, hoping to detect the sound that was keeping me from sleep. Damn it, nothing. Why I couldn't sleep was a mystery to me. I didn't even have my usual cup of coffee this morning. There was no future looming in front of me that should make me anxious. (When I'm anxious, I can't sleep. Go figure.) In fact, the only thing really coming up was my birthday tomorrow. Twenty-two wasn't exactly a milestone, but it was still just as important as any other birthday, right? Why make twenty-two feel un-special just because it wasn't eighteen or twenty-one or thirty or thirteen?

Ok, at that moment, I knew I was loopy from sleep deprivation. Really, I'm not that insane. Rolling over to the left in my bed, my bedside nightstand came into sight, and along with that, my clock. Eleven o' clock, one more hour. Well, I wasn't born at midnight exactly, but you get my point. I climbed out of my bed sluggishly, trudging over to my bathroom to wash my face. Flicking on my light switch, I bent down part of the way to wash my face with some warm water.

Well, that did nothing to make me sleepy. I glared at my face in the mirror as I begged the sandman to come and take me away. The water dripped down my face onto my silk pajamas, making them look an entirely new color. Under my eyes, deep purple circles loomed evilly. They looked so strange, counteracting with my pale skin and golden eyes. I considered idly going to the market, picking up some fresh milk (we were all out), and heating it up, but that trick never seemed to work on me. I could never trick myself into sleeping, it seemed. Yes you heard correctly, I did say 'we'. My boyfriend Tadase Hotori lives with me in my apartment, but he was away on business at the moment, so I was left alone.

Mind you, he and I never actually slept together, but we had cuddled a few times and slept in each other's beds. It was all purely innocent, I assure you. Tadase and I had met in elementary school, and bonded over the fact that we both had Guardian Chara's. Somewhere along the way, I believe in my senior year of high school, we started to date. Honestly, he was really the only guy I ever seriously dated. Sure, I had a few boyfriends my freshman and sophomore year, but none I even considered close to.

When we graduated, same year, Tadase immediately went to college. I wasn't the college type, I was more the 'get up and travel the world' girl. Time and time again I considered going to college, but the thought never appealed to me. So, now I work odd-jobs and baby-sit kids for a living and hope one day I can really see the world.

Tadase was the more the stay at home type. He would come with me wherever I wanted to go, but I could see he was never as excited to go on these trips as I was. I toweled off the water that was still there hastily, peering at myself in the mirror lazily. I focused on my eyes.

"Sleep…" said to myself in a lulling voice; hypnotizing myself…or at least attempting to. All that did was make me feel like an idiot, something I did not like feeling like.

Maybe…just maybe tonight I needed something extra to help me fall asleep. I rushed out of the bathroom, over once again to the nightstand table. The only light was the cast of the light from the bathroom, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough to illuminate where I was going. I knew the room by heart, so I didn't trip over my own bed. I was known to do that a lot, even in the light. Tonight it seemed, luck was with me…or perhaps, it was fate. Though, I never believed in things like that. Hand trembling, I reached down to open the compartment that held what I was looking for.

The Humpty Lock. I reached down cautiously, like the trinket would bite me if I made a wrong move, and slowly picked it up. I kept the lock through all the years because I had yet to discover the secrets of it. And, for another reason…I couldn't bear to throw it out. Somewhere deep inside me, I knew that the match to this lock – the one who held the key that would open this treasure - hadn't thrown his part away, and neither would I.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi. Years passed, nearly six, since I had seen the blue-haired cat boy. I missed him so dearly; I can't believe how long it's been since I've seen that stupid smirk. When he first left, I would think (and sometimes dream), about him often. As I got older, and as I got closer to Tadase, I would wonder less and less, to the point where he hardly ever crossed my mind. Now it seemed more like he was a passing dream. Like I had actually imagined him; but I knew this wasn't true. As I thought about not thinking about him, I felt a twinge of guilt somewhere in my chest.

I fingered the lock pointlessly as I slowly sat down on my bed. Lying down, I held the lock ever more fiercely as I closed my eyes, begging for sleep once again. Somewhere along the way, I did manage to relax, and slowly sleep took me away.

I believe I was dreaming. I was ninety nine percent sure, because I was at a wedding in a white dress. I wasn't even engaged yet, thank you very much.

The chapel was beautiful. White and baby pink curtains hung from the walls and were draped artistically over the above banisters. Everyone was staring at me, so I flushed pink – as I always had whenever I got attention. Of course, I would be remembered as the blushing bride. In my hand was an assortment of daffodils, roses, and tulips, all in my very favorite colors. So, I grinned as I continued down the pink-silk-carpet aisle.

When I reached the end, the groom turned towards me, and I wasn't surprised. Tadase looked very cute* in a black-clean cut classic tux. I turned away from him for a moment, giving my bouquet to a nearby bridesmaid. I didn't care enough to look at the details of her face, so I didn't register who she was. I turned back to him, giving him a confident, radiant smile. He took my hands, staring me deeply in the eyes, and I blushed even more. Oh how I adored those pink irises!

"You may now kiss the bride," said the minister in a deep voice. But just as I was about to pucker up, everything stopped. I could still move about, but I could see all the members of the audience, the minister, and my husband to be was frozen. I was sure someone was about going to jump out from somewhere – perhaps above me. I looked up expectantly, and that's probably why I was so startled when I first felt movement below me.

A small, blue-black cat stared up at me with intelligent, unwavering eyes. I nearly was about to tell it to shoo when it began a transformation. If I would have blinked, I would have missed it completely. One second before, a cat stared up at me, and a second later, a tall, lean man stared down at me.

"I-Ikuto?" I said; my voice full of surprise and wonder. He leaned down, so he was merely a few inches away from me (which of course, made the blush that was slowly fading away come back), and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Amu."

I startled myself into consciousness, still holding the lock I had fallen asleep with. I scrambled over to see the clock, and my mouth opened in shock. The time was 12:01 am. My birthday. Lying back down, my heart racing profoundly in my chest, I began to think.

This had to be a coincidence, right? On my birthday exactly, why would Ikuto, of all people, be the one wishing me well in a dream? Why wasn't I dreaming of Tadase doing that, or a friend, or even Ami or my Mom or Dad? He was once my best friend, I supposed, but I hadn't seen him for nearly six years. I was probably getting too worked up over something so trivial. Stupid Humpty Lock, giving me bad dreams. I threw it across the room, hearing it hit directly on the wall opposite me. Screw the mark it probably left.

I snapped my eyes shut – angrily, hoping sleep wasn't lost for the night. Behind my eyelids though, was an image stuck in my head. No matter how many times I tried to think of something pleasant, it wouldn't seem to wash away. I couldn't erase the look of that cat. That stupid cat. Though the eyes were intelligent and witty, (exactly like Ikuto's eyes, why didn't I catch that before he transformed?), I saw a trace of sadness in them. The image remained in my head as I once again fell asleep, into a peaceful oblivion that I had hoped for earlier.

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Ikuto's POV

"Happy birthday, Amu," I said, a trace of sadness in my voice. I blew out a candle on a cupcake quietly, setting in on my nightstand. I wasn't hungry for a cupcake, but I knew chocolate cupcakes were Amu's favorite. Something we shared in common.

Sitting on my bed in a dank, damp apartment, I wished now more than ever that I could where Amu was. America, I found out soon after I left, was not for me. How ironic, I thought to myself morbidly. I want the wish, yet its Amu's birthday. Life just wasn't fair at times.

What was she thinking of now? Did she ever think of me? Did I cross her mind, like she did mine? What did she look like now? So much time had passed by. Did she have a boyfriend, now? I figured, with all these questions running around it my head, that I'd never go to sleep. Surprisingly though, after a few short moments with my eyes closed, I fell into a dreamless oblivion.

Well, it seemed so at first, but soon I did start to dream. I remembered vague parts of it. Standing at the edge of a cliff, laying down in a hole, but the thing I remembered most was her. She popped up often in my dreams, so it shouldn't have surprised me, but she always caught me off guard, it seemed. The rest of the dream didn't make sense, so I chose to ignore it.

But the dream didn't make me sad. As I dreamed about her, I would be filled usually with remorse over leaving and wish I was with her. But instead tonight, when I saw her fresh, sixteen year old face smiling at me, it made me happy. So as I dreamed, I felt myself physically smile. For the first time in who knows how long, I truly smiled.

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Amu's POV

I awoke around nine thirty, feeling well rested, although a little stiff. My bathroom light had been left on, and I wondered to myself idly how much the electric bill would be this month. I rolled out of bed, switching it off when I reached there. I started to walk out the door, but a mark on the wall met my eye. It wasn't large, but it was slightly noticeable. Walking over to the mark, I crouched down on the floor, picking up the lock tightly.

I flushed out of embarrassment when I remembered how childish I had acted after the dream I had last night. There was no need to physically damage the wall; it had done nothing to me. As I stared at the lock, not quite sure what I was thinking about, I was met with a sense of conviction. All of a sudden, I knew what I had to do.

I was going to America. I was going to bring Ikuto home.

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Eh, not the longest chapter, but who cares. Only about 2100 words or so, but it was vital. It was kinda sweet in a way, in my opinion. So, please review, because it shouldn't take long. Thanks to all that reviewed my first chapter, you guys are the best! Stay tuned for more!

~Chrissy-Chan.

* Do you know how annoyed I was to write that Tadase was CUTE? ARG!! Okay, mini-rant over. ;)


	3. Kidnapping

Bringing Him Back

Chapter Three

"Kidnapping"

A/N: Thank the fact that here in America I have a little thing called "Veteran's Day" and surprisingly, I have it off. So, be sure to thank in your reviews. *hint, hint*

Alright, all the notes I have for now. I'm almost done planning it completely out, and don't worry, the official plot will start developing soon. (Cause in my opinion, this story starts off way slow. But tell me what you think of it so far. No flames, please.)

χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи – χσχσ

P.S. It's 2 am as I write this, so please forgive me if I make a few grammar errors. Some descriptions are at the end of the story if needed.

**χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи – χσχσ**

A week's worth of clothes? Check.

My Passport? In my left pocket.

Pretty much all the money I owned? (The amount was not high, let me just tell you). Check.

A phone call to Tadase saying where I'm going and how long I'll be there…un-checked.

I sighed, staring down at the small piece of paper in my hand, which so happened to be a to-do list. I kept putting this last thing I had to do off. I even checked to make sure that Nagihiko was still giving me a ride to the airport, and that he had a full tank of gas. Maybe I was being immature. Perhaps I was even being childish. But honestly…

I was afraid of what my boyfriend would say.

Every since I had known the two boys, they had constantly fought. Every time I even thought to mention it to Tadase, to ask him about his mysterious past, he would always simply change the subject. I never even tried to get it out of Ikuto. He didn't talk a lot the way it is. So, I kept my mouth shut. It wasn't until I was nearly in middle school - after I had known both the guys for almost two years - that I found out. And boy was I surprised.

With a sharp buzz, I was brought back to reality. With a flick on my wrist my vibrating cell phone was out of my jean pocket and – with another flick – it was open by my ear.

"You have Amu here. What's going on?"

"Hey, babe. Happy birthday," said a familiar, sweet voice.

"T-Tadase?" I very well nearly screeched. I took a deep breath to calm myself, hoping that I hadn't frightened him. Not too long ago Tadase and I started calling each other by our first names – no honorific included. That was pretty major, and I didn't want to blow it now. It was all about how I approached it.

"Is something wrong, Amu?" he said in a voice that didn't sound like he was trying to console me. More as like he was suspicious of what I was doing. Honestly though, I couldn't blame him.

"No, no," I said quickly, my voice cracking. "You're welcome," I added quickly, responding to the happy birthday wishes. I bit my lip so hard, I was sure I was about to taste blood. I had always been a poor liar. I guess it was better now to just tell him the truth. He didn't control me; I would get Ikuto to come home if I damn well wanted to. "Listen, Tadase…I'm…going on a little trip, alright?"

"A trip?" He repeated back, each word distant, like they were their own separate sentence.

"Yeah, to the states."

"May I ask why?"

This was it. I took a deep breath, hoping to calm my racing heartbeat, but the extra oxygen did nothing to soothe me.

"I'm going to bring Ikuto home." Okay. Maybe blurting it out was the wrong approach.

He was silent for a long time. I waited in agonizing silence, hardly daring to breath._ "Don't let him hang up the phone..." _I pleaded to no one in particular silently.

"When will you be back?"

I exhaled sharply, not realizing I had been holding my breath. Maybe that was why my heartbeat rose. This was surprising, though I decided to keep my cool. No Chara change here today, thank you very much.

"I'm not quite sure…a week, at most."

"Who's going to drive you to the airport?"

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. What a strange question.

"Nagihiko, why?"

"No reason," he said, all too innocently. "Love you babe, see you soon, right?"

"Absolutely. Bye."

My thumb found its way to the "conversation end" button and pressed it. Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I realized all too late that I didn't say 'I love you' back. It wasn't worth the hassle to just call him back, and besides, he was probably busy. He knew I loved him, that I was sure of.

Now, I was all packed and ready to head to sunny Los Angeles. I grabbed my blue leather coat off the back of the nearest chair and put it on over my simple white t-shirt with a favorite band's, - Paramore's – logo on it in one fluid motion. Taking another deep breath, I grabbed my two suitcases and headed out the door. As soon as I was out the door I let myself relax. Why I was so tense, I didn't know. The cool, typical Japanese day loosened my muscles, and made me think strategically.

I asked Nagihiko to pick me up at 3:30. Raising my arm up, (which still was holding the suitcase) I peaked at the watch – 3:22 – and then put it back into place. I jogged the last few steps, waiting by the mailbox for my friend to pick me up. I guess the best thing to do was just to find a moderate looking hotel, set up there, and then comb the city first thing in the morning.

It wasn't much of a plan, but it would have to do.

Now there was nothing to do but wait.

And wait.

And wait…

χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи - χσχσ

**χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи – χσχσ**

_Tadase's POV_

As soon as she hung up, (without saying 'I love you', I might add), I clenched my fist in rage. I thought she was over her little crush on Ikuto, but apparently not. I thought I had sponged it from her like an infectious disease, but apparently, it's in relapse. Like a cancer. Like leukemia. Gritting my teeth for just one more instant, I let rage consume me before pushing it back and getting control.

I would have to let Amu do this. If I didn't, she'd hate me forever. And this first rule of love was, always put your partner before yourself. I intended to do so. The part of my brain that was all business was already planning. Business-brain knew that Amu wasn't the richest broad out there. Business brain also knew that Amu wouldn't touch the money I had put in for her whenever she needed it. She was too proud.

I flicked open my cell phone, (which, by the way, only suffered partial wounds from my fist-clenching episode), and called a number in which I had not called in a long, long time.

"Hello," answered the female voice in a cool, mature voice. She didn't say it as if she was asking a question, more so like she was stating something. Like she was saying, "Yeah, I'm here. What do you want?"

"Utau? It's me, Tadase Hotori."

I could quite literally hear her façade melt away as I stated who I was. We had a history together. Just because we weren't blood related it didn't mean that I we couldn't act like brother and sister.

"Tadase," she said warmly, though her voice was clouded with disbelief. I couldn't blame her. I felt a twinge of guilt rock through me as I remembered how long it had been since I called her. Three, four months was it? There was no rational excuse. Being 'busy' just didn't cut it. I vowed to myself at that moment that I would spend more time away from business and get to know others.

"Listen Utau, I really, _really_ need a favor."

"Typical," Utau said, her overly-tough-and-cool voice setting back in. "You just want to call me to help you. Did you ever stop to consider _my _feelings?"

"It's about Ikuto-."

"You know I don't have feelings for him anymore, dumbass."

I flinched back from the venom in her voice. I hadn't expected her to get so mad over something like this. Though, Utau did love Ikuto once, and I knew that first love never truly went away. I knew right now she was angry with me, but right now she was blushing. That was my thing, I knew people.

"You didn't let me finish," I said, hoping to at least get her to listen. When she didn't respond, I took that as a 'go ahead.' "And Amu."

Utau was silent as she clicked the entire sentence together. She inhaled slowly, held her breath for a few seconds, and then exhaled deeply. Amu was one of her best friends. Although Utau was older than her by a year, Amu had helped Utau in so many ways. She hated to admit it, but she owed Amu a solid. Of course, Amu never asked for Utau to repay her, and the subject never came up, but I could feel it; hanging in the air like a poison. Ok, maybe that was too overdramatic.

"That's mean you know, Tadase."

"What?" I replied innocently back, my eyes sparkling.

"Alright, alright, I'll help Amu. Now, what is it that is the problem?"

"Amu suddenly…had this desire to bring Ikuto home. She's flying to the states, soon, so you have to hurry."

"So what do you want me to do? Stop her?"

It was an intriguing thought, but no.

"I need you to help her. She's the one who jump started your singing career, don't you have more than enough money for a round trip to Los Angeles?"

"Is money the real issue here?"

I sighed, tucking a strand of blonde hair that had fallen in front of my eyes behind my ear. It really wasn't rational, the real reason I wanted Utau there with Amu.

"No, it isn't. Is there any chance you can…go with Amu? Take a week off and…supervise?"

"Why?"

"The truth?"

"It'd be nice."

"Well…" I said hesitantly, unsure if I could trust her. "I don't trust Ikuto."

After a minute of pure, undeniably silent silence, Utau said, quietly, "Why is that?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

Utau didn't press me for details. I liked that about her.

"So will you do it?"

"Alright, fine. But under one condition."

"…Condition?" I said slowly. I could practically _hear_ the evil grin on her face. I was so going to regret this.

χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи - χσχσ

**χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи – χσχσ**

I hung up the phone, only to snap it open once again. I had one more call to make this evening. This number I wasn't so quite familiar with, so I had to look it up in the built it address book on my cell phone.

The call was – thankfully – short and sweet.

"Hey Nagihiko? It's me, Tadase?"

"Tadase?" He said in surprise. I knew the way his eyebrows would furrow together at that point.

"Have you left to pick up Amu yet?"

"No," he said guiltily. "I'm sorry man I was just about to –"

"Hey, it's no problem," I reassured quickly. "I just wanted to let you know that Amu doesn't need a ride. She…carpooled with a neighbor who was also going to the airport." I hoped that the brilliant excuse I came up with would overshadow my slight lapse.

Nagihiko stayed silent for one moment more, before saying, "All right man, thanks for letting me know."

"No problem," there was nothing else to talk about. We were never that close, and I had just talked to him a few days back. "Bye, man."

I closed the cell phone for the last time and settled into my atypical motel room bed. "Being on business bites," I thought to myself, thinking morbidly that I had left Amu at the perfect time. That was sarcasm, if you didn't catch that.

What would come of this? Why did I feel the need to have Amu be watched over, when I knew that she could take care of herself? These questions and others floated around my mind, not giving me a moments rest. Well, what will come, will come, I thought to myself, remembering an old quote. And it does no use stressing over something that would probably be so trivial. So I turned over in bed, turning off the lamp on my bedside table, and turning over on my stomach to take another visit to dream world.

χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи - χσχσ

**χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи – χσχσ**

_Amu's POV_

Impatiently, I checked my watch once again. 3:50. Nagihiko was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago! If he didn't hurry, I would miss my plane!

I sighed in frustration, kicking the suitcase that I had placed next to be, still standing at the edge of driveway. I looked up every time a car passed me by, only to have my hopes beaten back that _this _car was his car. Alright, if he wasn't here in five minutes I would call the taxi service, _then _call him to give him a piece of my mind or two. I looked up instinctively as another vehicle cruised down the street. Just a black van, no green Sudan here.

I turned around to face my home, appraising it with a visitor's eyes. I told Tadase a million times that the windows needed to be repainted. But did he listen? No –

My thoughts were jerked to a halt as I felt arms wrap around my waist and pull me back. I tried to scream out, but the second I thought of doing so, an arm was removed from my waist and a hand was clamped over my mouth. Who did this guy or girl think he or she was? Kidnapping me? No. Freaking. Way.

I bit down on the hand, and then spit out in annoyance. The hand was gloved with a tan, leather, elbow-length glove. I tried futilely to, once again, free myself, but who ever this person was, he/she was strong. I felt something puncture my neck and I gave a small cry out of pain, which was muffled by the glove. All at once my surroundings got very dull and vague. With a final jerk, I was placed within a…car? Van? Room? I couldn't tell. The last thing I remembered though was movement beneath me as I slowly faded into unconsciousness.

χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи - χσχσ

χσχσ - ¢няιѕѕу - ¢нαи – χσχσ

**a/n: okay, I'm not quite so in love with this chapter. You wanna know why? Its 1:45 in the morning, I'm exhausted, and yet, I'm still writing. But, I have to admit, I had fun. Do you notice that I write the characters going to sleep as fade-outs? Heh, sorry. **

**Some questions for you guys to consider over the non-updating period…**

"**What was the condition Tadase agreed to?" **

"**Who kidnapped Amu?"**

"**Why is Tadase wary of Ikuto?" **

**Okay, that's all I have for now, but I'm sure you guys can come up with more. I've got a few descriptions for you guys, so listen up.**

**First of all, the ages; yes, I did mess them up. Sorry!!**

**Amu: 22 **

**Ikuto: 25**

**Utau: 24**

**Tadase: 22**

**And those are really the only important characters of the story so far.**

**And here's a small description of Amu's/Tadase's home:**

**Well they live in an apartment, as I stated before. But, as I said here, there is a driveway. It's not a large apartment, and it's out in the suburbs. A small group of people live in them, and they all pay rent. It's not like they share a home – they all have an individual set of rooms, but they do technically live together.**

**Special thanks to my friend and twinny, Gabby, a.k.a, DarkGirlRavenGrayson. Check her out, she's great!**

I


	4. And So the Journey Begins

Chapter Four

And So the Journey Begins

**A/N: Hello all! It's been a little bit since I updated, and for that I'm sorry. But, now I have an exact plan for this story, so there will be no writer's block excuse from me. If I'm not updating fast enough, feel free to send me a pm and tell me to get my lazy ass into gear. Well, maybe in nicer tones, but you get my point. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shugo Chara. If I did, Ikuto and Amu would have hooked up a long, **_**long **_**time ago.**

* * *

** Amu's POV**

"Amu-chan," a familiar voice said. I groaned, trying to ignore it. All I wanted to do was sleep. My muscles ached, my throat was dry, and I felt generally horrible. The last thing I could remember was…

"Whoa!" I said quite loudly, my back suddenly erect.

The voice I heard earlier laughed. Wait – laughed?! What was there to laugh about here? My head turned to appraise my kidnapper – a girl that looked a few years older than me. She had tough, cool amethyst eyes that seemed to dare you to question her. She wore a simple yet sophisticated black dress that hugged her curves well. As she stared me down, she tucked a lock of her long, blond hair behind her ear.

"U…tau?" I said, my voice dry.

Utau laughed again, her voice sounding mature and carefree. She hadn't changed much in the few years that I had known her; except for she had lost the pony tails and now had a lock of pure purple hair. It looked nice on her – it matched her eyes. Rebellious, it was – exactly what you would expect from someone like Utau.

I looked around me as I remembered what had happened to me. I was in a van. I couldn't see the driver; there was a wall between him and us. We were traveling quite fast, though since there were no windows I couldn't be sure exactly how fast. The back seat was mainly empty, except for a few empty soda cans, a cd player, and a few bags of luggage. I vaguely recognized two of them as my own.

"You okay?" she said, still staring at me as I peered around.

"I think I'm fine…I was…kidnapped?" I couldn't be sure; I was still a bit fuzzy. So, instead of it coming out as a statement, it sounded more like a question.

"By me," Utau said, rather proudly.

I abruptly stopped staring around and glared at the woman in front of me.

"Utau! Why would you do that?"

She shrugged once, completely unconcerned. "I thought it would be fun."

"Yeah, maybe for you, but I was scared out my mind! Plus, I swear I felt some one inject me with something…"

"Sorry, Amu, I sort of had to sedate you…how much do you weigh?"

One of my eyebrows rose in question. That seemed a little out of character and beside the point. Maybe she was trying to distract me and make me forget that she had been the one to nearly terrify me to death.

"I don't know, maybe one hundred and five pounds?"

"Damn you're skinny. No wonder why you were out so long, I overdosed you."

My other eyebrow rose to meet the first one.

"You see," Utau explained quickly. "I estimated you would weigh around one hundred fifteen pounds. There's a specific amount of the drug I used for every pound you have in your body."

"So…," I said, trying to make sense of all this. "Why did you kidnap me?"

"Tadase told me I could."

That pulled me up short. My eyebrows, which had been slowly lowing themselves to just above me eyes, shot up again.

"W-why?"

"I wanted to help you look for my brother."

I remembered for the first time what I was doing before Utau had oh-so-rudely kidnapped me. I was going to America to bring Ikuto home. The memory of Ikuto brought back the dream I had, and I blushed. Luckily, Utau didn't seem to notice.

"But…why would you need to come? I don't mean to be rude but –"

"Tadase doesn't like Ikuto much. You know that. He sent me here…to escort you."

I thought about how I felt about that. I knew Tadase and Ikuto had never gotten along well. I remembered vaguely my freshman year. Ikuto was a junior then. It was the only time we had ever been in the same school at the same time, on account of the fact that we went to different elementary and middle schools. We had always known each other – growing up our houses were only a few blocks apart – but the fact that we were in the same school, if only for two years, was different. We were so close; people began to think we were a couple. The rumors had slightly annoyed me, but Ikuto didn't seem to care.

Ikuto said he'd even purposely fail the senior year just so he could stay with me one more year. I – of course – didn't believe him, but all the same, I thought it was sweet. I told him he better not, it was time that he moved on and went to college, or out into the world. Then he proceeded to tell me that the world held no interest to him without me. At that moment, although I knew he was just teasing, I had never blushed so much.

But he listened to my advice. He graduated, moved on, and went to America to look for his father. And so here we were. Tadase and I were also friends in our freshman and sophomore year, and – although he tried to hide it – I could tell he didn't like Ikuto much. I could never see why.

But that was the past. We were now in the present. And presently, I was a little annoyed. Why would I need an escort? It was almost as if Tadase didn't trust me. I was a little peeved, so much that I almost took my cell phone out and called him to give him a piece of my mind. Then I thought through it. Tadase was just trying to protect me. Even if he was trying to protect me all wrong, it was a little sweet. Besides, it wasn't worth it to fight over something so trivial.

"What about Nagihiko?" He had been my ride to the airport. He was probably worried about me. He deserved an explanation. My hand dove in my pocket for my cell, and with a quick flash, it was open and I was dialing my friend's number.

Utau suddenly snatched my cell phone away, putting it in her pocket.

"Hey, not cool Utau."

"Amu, relax, everything is taken care of."

"Everything?" I said disbelievingly. I was grateful, but also a little annoyed. I didn't like being taken care of. Utau gave me back my cell once she realized that I wasn't going to call anyone.

"Everything," she repeated. "So just relax. We'll be there soon."

"Wait…we'll be where soon?"

* * *

** "**Whoa…" I said for the second time that day, but it was now in amazement. A few hundred feet away was the biggest plane I had ever seen in my entire life. I wondered idly what it was like on the inside. Then I remembered the measly amount of money I had. I couldn't afford a ride on there. Nay, I couldn't even afford a _look_ in there.

Beside me, Utau stood, unimpressed.

"You coming?" She said, gesturing with one of her manicured hands toward the plane.

"Oh, Utau, I can't afford something so…"

"Amu, relax," she said, a small smile on her face. "It's covered."

It still didn't feel right though. I pulled out the wad of cash in my pocket and prepared to pay at least a little bit of money.

"I'm not going to take it," she said, already walking quickly towards the plane. I shoved the money back into my pocket, jogging after her to keep up.

The plane had begun to groan loudly – I assumed that was the engine. I had never been on a plane in my life. Utau was already on the stairs, and I was not far behind.

"Here, this way," she said, waving one hand – a signal for me to follow. I followed uncertainly. The plane's noises grew ever louder and I felt like covering my ears in annoyance. Though I didn't.

Utau had sat down in a large, red chair. She nodded her head once to the left, and I took it to mean that she meant I should sit in the chair a few feet to her left. I sank down into the chair and sighed happily. How comfy these seats were! They even had small cup holders on the armrests. There were only two seats, which surprised me. In all the movies I had seen, there were plenty more, even in first class. The windows weren't large, but there were mini – drapes on every single one of them. The floor below me was carpeted in silk. In other words, it looked very, very fancy.

"Ms. Utau, are you ready?" I looked over at Utau, and she was holding a walkie-talkie.

"Whenever you are pilot."

"Then prepare for liftoff."

"Thank you."

With a beep, the walkie-talkie's signal cut off. As soon as the signal cut off, Utau put it in a basket underneath her feet and closed her eyes. I stared at her for several long moments before she opened her eyes in annoyance.

"What, Amu? I can't sleep with you staring at me like that."

"Did you just give the pilot a signal to take off?"

"Well it is my plane."

One of my eyebrows rose for the second time that day. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised though, Utau _was_ a big pop star. She had closed her eyes again, and her face was relaxed. She was probably asleep, and I didn't want to annoy her, so I didn't ask how long it was going to take us to get to America.

I moved one of the drapes from the windows, and stared out it. Besides the whir of the engine, there was no noise. The plane had begun to move lazily from the gate and began to steadily pick of speed. Closing my eyes, I leaned back comfortably in my seat and closed my eyes. We were on our way. We were going to bring home Ikuto.

* * *

**A/N: Not a long chapter, but it held some vital information. Tell me what you think in the reviews, please. Push that green button. You know you want to. **

**~ABeautifulDream**


	5. Arriving and Finding

Chapter Five

Arriving and Finding

**Wow, I updated fast huh?**

**Big, big, big thanks to every one of my reviewers. If we can, do you think we can make it to 100 reviews? We're already 25 percent of the way there. Please. Help a child in need. Press the green button.**

**I'd like to point out two very special reviewers. ****ToTaLy-WiErD-aNd-PROUD**** and ****. K U R O S U K U . D U S K .****They noticed a few grammar mistakes I've made and pointed them out in a kind way. ****Domo arigato!! **

**And thanks to all those that gave me almost 600 hits to my story. One more thing I have to add…**

**I am from America, so some of the things in my culture, could be different from any of yours. As one of my previously mentioned reviewers pointed it out, (figure it out for yourself who said it) Amu drove at 16. I'm not sure how it's done in other countries, but here in America teens get their license around that age. I was really too lazy to look up Japanese customs for driving, and I really don't want to revise it. Sorry for the confusion.**

**And sorry for the fact that in chapter four I said Amu's never been on a plane, whereas in chapter one she says she has. Amu is a very confused person, huh?**

**I do not – you know what? Screw it. I do own Shugo Chara. I invented and published the manga, and am now manipulating the anime to be exactly the opposite of anything rational. Yeah, I totally made Ikuto **_**not **_**confess to Amu before he left to find his Father because I don't want them together. Isn't it so very obvious?**

**And now, without further ado, here is chapter five of "Bringing Him Back."**

* * *

**- Amu's POV, as always - **

In about sixteen hours or so, the plane touched down in Los Angeles. For a few hours now I had my eyes open, watching the sun rise through my window, but Utau slept through it all. I had no idea how she managed to sleep for the entire ride, but since it was Utau, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I remembered vague parts of the trip – going over the ocean, reaching America, things like that. But most of the ride was fuzzy – I was sure I slept through most of it.

As we approached Utau's private airport, (something else I shouldn't be surprised over, but was), I debated waking her up versus leaving her on the plane to sleep. I didn't want to annoy her, but I sure didn't want to be accused of ditching her either. Finally, as the plane touched down with a jarring impact, I touched her shoulder gently.

"Utau," I said quietly, half whispering. "It's time to go."

Utau sleepily opened her eyes, and looked around for a few moments. As she reoriented herself with what was going on, I grabbed my luggage from the top compartment. I didn't remember putting it up there, so one of the flight attendants must have.

"What time is it?" she tried to say, but it ended up sounding like 'wassatimeitis'.

I laughed, although what she said wasn't very funny. I could feel Utau glaring holes into my back as I got down her luggage too.

"It's about 7:30 PM," I said, checking my watch. Lucky I had already adjusted it to American time.

"Well, we better get going," Utau said, getting up out of her seat and stretching. I swear I heard something pop. She wiped the crusts at the corner of her eyes, and simply walked out, leaving me with all the baggage.

"Hey, Utau! I'm not carrying your stuff too!"

"Well neither am I."

"Utau," I began to say dangerously. I was nervous. When I was nervous, I got mad easily. Who knows why I was nervous though – Ikuto never judged me. What was there to be worried about, really?

Utau laughed, and I got even more annoyed.

"Relax Hinamori. The flight crew takes the luggage to the hotel where we're staying. We don't have to do anything."

In a second, my annoyance evaporated, and was replaced with a new feeling. Stupidity.

"Don't feel bad, Amu," Utau called, now outside the plane. "It took me awhile to get used to it too."

I smiled a smile – a small smile – and ran out to meet Utau. She was staring at the setting sun as I came out, and so did I. I realized first that just because we were in a different country, it didn't mean that anything truly changed. It was the same sunset I had been seeing for years now – gold, orange, with just a touch of pink. It was the same sunset I saw at home, and I knew it would bring the same thing too – night.

But…it still felt different. The atmosphere, the feel of being somewhere new. It gave me an amazing high – it was great to be somewhere new, but it was also a little scary too. The Los Angeles temperatures weren't high, as I expected them to be. Though, I expected we'd arrive a little earlier. I couldn't believe it when the pilot actually stopped off somewhere in North Carolina, (How many airports does she have?!), and got himself some fast food. Of course, I was thankful when he got me some fries though. My first ever American food. It wasn't bad, I suppose, but it helped calm my aching stomach, and gave me something to muse over for awhile. If I focused too much on what lied ahead, I would start to hyperventilate.

"Yo, you coming?" Utau called, already a while away. I stared at her in shock – had I been in such a trance that I didn't even notice her moving? I jogged – no, ran – to catch up for her as another guy in a uniform opened up a car door and let Utau in. He waited patiently as I caught up to Utau, but the pop star sure wasn't as patient.

"Come on," she called, irritated. "Do you want to find my brother or what?"

I ignored the jab as I slipped into the cab. The guy in the uniform shut the door gently, the walked – ever so calmly – to the driver's seat. Once he was in and buckled, he turned around to face us.

"Where to, Ms. Utau-san?" he said gruffly. I couldn't place the accent, but it sounded mildly British.

"Where to?" she asked me gently.

My eyes widened – oops, I still hadn't made a plan. I bit my lip, trying to invent something quickly, but Utau saw through that quickly.

"You. Don't. Have. A plan. Do you?" She said each word demonically, and I wondered vaguely how she could go from being so nice one minute, to simply evil the next.

I shook my head timidly, not looking her in the eye. I was afraid of what I would see there. I heard her take a deep breath beside me, closing her eyes. She held up one of her now gloved fingers, counting up.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5," she said quietly. She took another deep breath and lowered her hand, then opened her eyes to stare at me. I was happy to see that the anger had evaporated from her. When she was less angry, I was less bunched up too, which means we would get the job we were going to do done better.

But now her stare was making me uncomfortable. For something to do, I reached in my jeans pocket and pulled out the Humpty Lock.

"Utau…" I said quietly in amazement. "Look at the lock…"

She looked at the trinket in my hand and gasped in amazement. The lock was glowing radiantly, but just one of the facets was. Every facet was the same as usual, except the one that glowed.

"What does it mean…?" Utau murmured, mostly to herself.

Exactly what I wanted to know.

"Wait…" I said suddenly. I opened the taxi door, slipping out of the back seat and into the front. The cab driver had begun to stare at me strangely, but I ignored the look.

"Can you follow this lock? Like a GPS?"

The driver stared at it for a moment, then stared at me.

"Miss…" he said gently, staring at me. I shook my head, knowing I wasn't insane. The driver looked back at Utau who nodded twice vigorously. He sighed, holding out his hand.

"Here, hand it over."

It was childish and immature what I did next, but I couldn't stop myself from doing that. No one was getting their hands on my lock, especially some cab driver I hardly knew.

"I'll make you a deal, I hold the lock, you drive," I said, sounding stubborn.

The driver didn't try to argue with me. Smart of him. He drove straight down the road, pulling out of Utau's airport in a matter of seconds. I kept an eye on the Humpty Lock, but I also managed to watch the scenery as it passed by too. Los Angeles, was, to say the least, interesting. Millions of signs, lights, and other things lit up the city, giving it a glow. Every one walked on the sidewalk – some waved their hands for taxis (some successful, some not.). People shouted angrily and happily, hobo's sat in the darkened alleys and asked people for spare change. I had never been to a city as big as this before.

It was…exciting. The buzz of it nearly gave me a high of my own. I turned back into my seat to see what Utau was doing, and she was…playing games on her cell phone. I sighed, turning back to sit in my seat the right way. It was her lost – but I figured she had been here before, so I didn't feel too bad ignoring her.

Suddenly, the lock changed. The lock to the left was illuminated, instead of the one directly in front.

"To the left, quickly!" I called.

The driver spun around the wheel quickly, turning left, which was met with the smell of burnt rubber and a large squealing of wheels. Not my most pleasant moment. Horns blared at us from all sides, but the driver seemed immune to them, so I ignored them too. After awhile down this road, a left, a right, a u turn, and another right, we were at our destination.

How could I tell this was it, you ask? I could just…feel it.

But the thing is…I just didn't know _why _this was our destination.

We were standing in front of a club with loud, rude music spilling out from it. I could hear people talking and shouting and laughing and fighting from where I stood twenty feet away. I swallowed, but got out of the cab. I hardly noticed Utau follow me, but she apparently did because soon we were standing side by side, staring at the club. The taxi was gone, and so was our chance to get out of here.

"Well," Utau said, putting on a pair of sunglasses and a hat. Trying to disguise herself, I supposed. "Let's go." She grabbed my wrist, tugging me towards the club, but I firmly dug my heels into the cement.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not dressed for a club!"

"Really, Amu?"

"Utau, I'm sorry, I'm nervous!"

Utau ran her tongue over her front teeth, thinking. She appraised me as she did so, and I wondered what she thought. My scoop-neck t-shirt and jeans weren't anything extraordinary, but it's not like I expected to be at a club. Utau was the first one to speak after several long moments.

"Take off your shirt."

"Eh…what?" I said, taken aback.

"You're wearing a cami underneath, right?"

"Uh, yeah, but –"

"Amu, take off your shirt or I'm taking it off myself."

Well this was humiliating. I knew from Utau previously kidnapping me that I wasn't as physically strong as her. I wasn't going to win this fight – that much was clear. So, unwillingly, I slipped off my t-shirt to reveal the cami underneath. I blushed three shades of red as I heard a bunch of guys' wolf-whistle as the walked into the club. Utau simply acted like she didn't hear them.

"Is this one of your favorite pair of jeans?"

"Not exactly. I mean they –"

Utau already had a sharp object in her hands, and was kneeling by my knees. Luckily the jeans were a little loose, so when she ripped holes into the knees, she didn't end up cutting me too.

"Now," she said, appraising me again. I sighed, wondering how much more abuse my outfit could take. "Shake it."

"Okay Utau, you've lost me."

She rolled her eyes once, then grabbed the ponytail in my hair and yanked it out forcefully.

"Ow! You know you could have just told me to do that."

Well, that statement was ignored.

"Shake out your hair."

I figured I better do so to avoid any more pain. I shook out my hair, feeling it gently land on the back of my neck. My hair had never been long – but for some reason I never liked it on my neck. It tickled. So, having it out of my ponytail was a foreign experience to me.

"How do I look?" I said uncertainly.

"Amu, you're a babe. Now come on, let's go."

She grabbed my wrist again and this time I didn't protest. I could feel the moment drawing nearer, the moment I would see Ikuto again. And I was ready to meet the moment – head on.

* * *

**So what do you guys think? About the sixteen hours on the plane, I sort of estimated. I had some sort of indication from Google (did you know that's a real word?) that told me how long a trip from Japan to New York would be (12 hours), then I did a flight from New York to LA, which is about 4 or so hours. 12+4 = 16. **

**So, please review and tell me what you think. I promise, although it's a slow starter, the action WILL be staring soon. Eh, I'm not satisfied for some reason, but I hope you guys have better, more open opinions of my story.**

**~ABeautifulDream **


	6. Finally

**Chapter Six**

"**Finally"**

**A/N: Hello, my friends! I was originally planning on splitting this into two chapters, but I figured I owed you guys for two facts…**

**I probably – PROBABLY – will not be updating until next year. **

**It's been awhile since I updated.**

**So I hope you guys like this chapter, it explains a lot about what's been going on with Ikuto and why he's been gone so long. **

* * *

I took in a great breath, filling my lungs with one of life's essential nutrients – oxygen – and pushed the doors open to the club. I barely noticed Utau – chan standing beside me, but from what I could see, she was pretty confident about this whole thing. Unlike me. My stomach was continuingly doing flip flops – no, not flip flops – a jig. As my amber eyes scanned the scene, I felt my heart rate rise.

Inside the club, the music was even louder. I felt like my eardrums were about to crack, but everyone in the club seemed to enjoy it. Bodies danced closely on the dance-floor, some actually dancing pretty well, and others dancing as though they were drunk. Maybe they were. I wouldn't be surprised if they were, considering there was a 30 foot bar along the side of the club, taking up the entire east wall. Bartenders laughed and the girls dressed in scan – fully clad outfits flirted with them restlessly. Some, I noticed, looked drunk, others were sober.

The club had no lights like you saw at an office, school building, or any place I'd personally consider normal. Instead, strobe lights vibrated off the walls, floor, and ceiling of the club in multi-colored hues. Above all of the dancing people was a podium that seemed to be floating – though I knew that it was just being held up by really, really strong invisible wires. On the flying podium, a male DJ tapped his foot in time with the music, his eyes closed, focusing on the song.

Ahead of the dance floor there was a stripper row – full of men and women alike – and people of both genders were cheering on them. I carefully averted my eyes from them, and began to scan the crowd. I doubted it, but could Ikuto be one of those closely packed bodies.

"Hey!" Utau shouted to me over the noise. I didn't take my eyes off the crowd, still scanning. The Ikuto that I knew would never dance – at least as far as I knew – so I doubted he'd be on the dance floor, but it's been years since I've seen him. He might have changed – how was I supposed to know? So I looked for Ikuto – however futile it may be.

"What?" I replied distractedly.

"I'm going to look at the bar! If you can't find him in five minutes, meet me there!"

I nodded once, barely registering what she said, though I did notice when her presence left me. Taking a running charge, I plowed right into the crowd – head first – hoping to break through them. No such luck. I bounced off the tightly packed bodies like they made up a brick wall – and it hurt too. I rubbed the spot where my head hit, and began to think again. If I couldn't break my way through the floor, I would have to dance my way across the floor. I began to dance, moving my hips, head, and arms with the music. It created a nice flow, and I actually looked like I belonged in this club. A few guy looked at me with seductive eyes that said "come dance with me, I'll make it worth your while.", but I ignored them. Dancing my way swiftly across the floor, I began to call out Ikuto's name pointlessly.

"Ikuto!" I cried out, my voice reaching its peak it how loud it could go. I stopped dancing in the middle of the floor, and people began to bump into me – purposefully and accidentally. I could barely hear myself. In times like this, I wish I had Utau by my side. She would be able to be heard over the noise with her loud singing voice.

"Ikuto!" I screamed again, pushing past my peak and therefore cracking my voice. Stupid, useless tears sparked in my eyes as I realized I was getting nowhere with this. At this rate – I'd never find Ikuto. Suddenly, my mind was flooded with a memory. Ikuto leaving – me pointlessly searching through a filled-to-the-brim airport for him. All I wanted was to say goodbye…Tears forming in my eyes as I pointlessly called his name…he couldn't hear me, I was going to be too late…

I pushed the memory away, wiping the tears that were threatening to overflow onto my cheeks away. I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart and giving me a chance to focus on my main goal – find Ikuto. I began to dance again, now able to push through the crowd better and search to find my friend.

"Ikuto?"

Nothing.

"Ikuto?!"

Not a reply.

"IKUTO!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Absolutely nothing.

After a few minutes of pointlessly repeating that process, I realized it was useless. As I thought before, Ikuto would never dance. I checked my watch, and I noticed that seven minutes had already passed. Utau would be getting worried, and when she got worried…

Dancing in a new direction, I made my way to the bar. After a little bit of dancing, I was able to move faster because the bodies dispersed. Soon there were hardly any, and I could walk normally to Utau's side.

"H-hey, Hinamori," Utau said, turning to face me, her voice slightly unsteady. I took a look at the shot glass in her hand and immediately knew why. A young boy – a boy that looked now older than a year older than me – was smiling at Utau. He was good looking, I supposed, but he seemed more the sporty type (which was not my type) with his tan skin, green eyes, and shaggy brown hair.

"Come on, Utau-chan…" I said gently, grabbing the glass from her and handing it to the bartender. Sporty-type smiled at me, nodded once, and then went to put the glass in a ready-to-be cleaned area. Utau didn't seem mad that I was cutting her off – in fact, she was smiling. It was a small smile, but it was in fact a smile. "You like him don't you?" I accused, smiling a wide smile. Her smile immediately disappeared, to be replaced with a scowl.

"I do not!" she said defensively. She looked away from me, and I noticed a small blush on her cheeks. I smirked a smirk that Ikuto himself would have been proud of as sporty-type-that-Utau-was-crushing-on came back.

"Hi," I introduced myself, surprised by my outgoingness.

"Hi," he said pleasantly, smiling at me. "I'm Kuukai Souma, you?"

"Hinamori Amu," I replied, holding out my hand for a shake. He took it, and I noticed his grip was firm. My assumption about the sporty-type was right then. "Listen," I said, my voice suddenly urgent. I had an idea. "Have you seen a guy, midnight blue hair, sapphire eyes, kind of the strong and silent type –"

"You mean Ikuto-kun?" Kuukai interrupted, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yes!" I said excitedly, glad that he had caught on. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah," Kuukai said, another smile touching his features. "He works in that direction." He pointed off to the side, to an area that I hadn't been to yet.

"Thanks!" I called out, already running in the direction he prescribed without so much as a backward glance. This time I was able to take a direct beeline to the place where Ikuto was, so I didn't have to do any more dancing. So, Ikuto worked here then? Some part of me felt an honest sense of relief – if he was working, it meant that he didn't not come home because he was bored of me. I hated to admit it, but I had been having those thoughts…

There was no time to dwell on that now though. I could feel the moment drawing nearer as made my way closer and closer to where I was supposed to go. It wasn't long until I was where Souma-san told me to go. And boy – surprised was an understatement to what I felt.

* * *

**A/N: I was so tempted to just end it right here, but I decided to give you guys a little treat. Here's your holiday present from me to you. **

* * *

A million thoughts flowed into my head at once.

Number One: Why was Ikuto-kun doing this?

Number Two: Had Ikuto always been that muscular?

Number Three: Why couldn't I stop staring at his damn abs?!

Ikuto was dancing – in fact – but he was in the last place I expected him to dance at. A stripper pole. A _fucking _stripper pole. My mind blanked for a few moments as I saw Ikuto do his job. Truly, from a completely judgmental point of view, he was good at it. Stripping, I mean. He teased the girls in the crowd by ever slowly taking off his belt, which would lead to taking off his shirt, which would lead to taking off his pants, which would lead to taking off…

I shook my head profoundly at that, hoping to clear my mind of the dirty thoughts I just had. I only now just registered that back here was a different kind of music, a music that had to be danced to carefully – if you messed up a move, you messed up the song. And Ikuto didn't mess up the song.

"Take it off!" I heard a girl shout from somewhere beside me, which was met by a lot of yells of agreement. This brought me to my full attention.

"You want it off?" Ikuto said loudly.

"Take it off, take it off!" The girls had begun to chant.

I couldn't take it. This being my first look of Ikuto for many years, him working at a strip club, him beginning to take of his shirt…

"Put." I said loudly, my voice sounding strangely rough. I cleared my voice, and began again. "Put. It. On." I yelled, my voice surprisingly loud enough to be heard over the club. Ikuto looked around, searching to find my voice, and finally our eyes connected.

Over the years, a few times, I had pictured Ikuto's and my reunion. Let me just say – it was not like this. His eyes bugged out in surprise as I simply stood there, my arms crossed over my chest. A few of the girls had started to murmur – some in surprise, some in annoyance, and I just wished that they would just shut up. I didn't take my eyes off of Ikuto though – I felt that if I took my eyes off him for a mere moment, he'd disappear. He jumped down off the stage, and ran forward towards me, cutting his way gracefully and smoothly through the crowd of girls.

I opened up my arms, knowing what was coming, and sure enough, it did. He picked me up in his arms, spinning me around a little. It made me feel small again, hugging him. He held on to me for one more moment, then let go of me – partially. He still kept his hands on my shoulders, looking me over as I peered at him. It was then I realized how little he really had changed. I expected there to be some difference, some noticeable change, but there was nothing. After a few more moments of him looking at me with a slightly-dazed look in his eyes, he smirked.

"Enjoying the view, Amu?" he said, pronouncing my full name carefully. I was too lost to come up with a response. Ikuto smirked again, and then took his hands off my shoulders, only to wrap an arm comfortably around my waist. This, _of course,_ made me blush like a freaking sunset. "I'm sorry ladies," Ikuto apologized, looking up at all the ladies, and sounding utterly sincere. "There will be no stripping from me tonight."

Most of the girls went "aw" in disappointment. A few shouted out "Aw, come on, please?" and a few said "ditch the bitch and do what you're paid to do!", though Ikuto ignored them. He pulled me through the crowd, never letting go of me, though I could very well navigate on my own. Never once did I take my eyes off of him. I was drinking him in, I supposed you could say. He paid no attention to my mindless protests though, and chuckled every now and again at some inside joke.

"What's so funny?" I said to him, slightly annoyed.

"Ah, it speaks," Ikuto returned.

I realized that this was the first real thing I had said to Ikuto, not counting the "Put. It. On," and I blushed. Be nicer to him, someone said inside my head softly. It brought me back to those days when I used to have Chara's.

"Ikuto-kun…" I murmured, mainly to myself. I was surprised when he looked down. I had hardly been able to hear myself talk, how had he? He must still have his cat like-boosted senses. After gathering my thoughts for a few more moments, I said truthfully, "I've missed you, you know." Ikuto nodded once coolly, but I noticed, behind the façade, that there was a small, genuine smile on his face. How strange it was to see him smile.

He looked down at me, and then the smirk was back. "Your face is as red as a tomato, you know," he said truthfully, and I grimaced. Ikuto was back alright.

Before I knew it, we were at the bar, Utau had paid her bartender bill, and the four of us (wait, when did Souma decide to come with us?) were in the car. I didn't realize why time was flying by so fast until we were on the way to the hotel for the night. I was tired – dead tired. I was pretty sure that I was falling asleep in strange bits, and that someone was forcing me to sleepwalk. Now, the arm around my waist (that probably belonged to a certain feline, though I didn't care enough to check.) wasn't just a comforting gesture. It was a support beam. Time passed. I was in the hotel. Before I knew it, I was in the shower, water too hot, as my muscles slowly relaxed.

The shower helped revive me some, which was something I desperately needed. I stared at the walls as slowly things started to come back into focus. It was then that it really and truly dawned on me that Ikuto was there – truly, and wholly there. I smiled to myself unconsciously, pleased with my work, and bent down in the shower to pick up a generic white washcloth. I wet it with the stream of water coming out of the showerhead and then lathered it with shower gel – my favorite kind, peppermint.

I began to wash myself thoroughly, only to realize something was…off. I peered around the bathroom, using my free hand to move the curtain so it hid my body, and nothing was out of the ordinary. Hmph. I went back to my place in the shower, washing myself of the smell of alcohol of the club, when I heard the sound again – although this time, I could place it - quiet, rhythmic breathing. With a rush, I realized that I wasn't alone – and that, unfortunately, I knew who was in my bathroom.

"Get out of here, Tsukiyomi!" I screeched, looking up automatically.

He chuckled, and my temper flared. I – again – looked out the curtain, using my free hand to shield my body with it, and there was Ikuto, standing there as if he'd been there the entire time. I threw my washcloth at him for no apparent reason, and he, of course, dodged it easily. Damn his cat-like reflexes. The washcloth landed with a splat on the floor, the bubbles flying off it in a pattern like an explosion. He and I both stared at it for a moment in silence. Besides the sound of our breathing and the water running, there was nothing. Ikuto had to be the one to break the silence.

"You know…" he said, looking up at me, meeting his eyes. I dared him to say something perverted with my eyes, sending a mental message to him. On his face was a ghost of a smirk. "You're going to have to come out here and clean this up."

Well – he apparently dared to. My face heated up again, for the whoever-knows-how many time tonight, and my temper shot up again.

"Get out!" I screeched again, closing the curtain firmly and going to stand in the middle of the shower, so Ikuto couldn't see me on the crack of the curtain of either side. Unfortunately, the middle of the shower also meant that my hair was getting wet – something I didn't want, but couldn't change.

"Hey," he said softly, suddenly serious. "I need someone to talk to."

"Me?" I responded questioningly. "Why now?"

"If you don't want to know…" Ikuto trailed off. Already I wanted to know what he had on his mind.

"Alright, alright. As long as you _promise_ – no peeking."

I see the silhouette of his profile in the curtain, and I saw him smile. I heard him mutter something along the lines of "Same old Amu," and then he took a deep breath.

"You already know up to the point…I tracked my father down to LA and left to find him when I was nineteen…" he began, running his hand through his hair for something to do. I knew it was hard sometimes for him to be completely open and honest, so I waited patiently for him to order his thoughts. "I left when I was nineteen…I had some great leads, leading me in several directions. Sometimes it took me awhile to track a lead, sometimes, not so much. One of my leads, my most recent lead, lasted for two years – from my twenty-first year to my twenty-third. Towards my twenty-fourth year I finally found out the truth – my father's dead."

He paused for a moment, knowing that I would need a second to wrap my head around that. I bit my lip out of pity, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm so sorry, Ikuto," I meant to say it in a strong, comforting voice, but my voice sounded more like a broken whisper. He heard though.

"'S okay," he said, though I knew it really wasn't. He shook his head once to the left, then the right, then began again. "I began to realize that I had used a majority of my funds for this – I had hardly any money left. Not nearly enough for a plane ride home. A few times I considered swallowing my pride and calling Utau to borrow some money, but…I just couldn't do it."

I could understand that. I remembered Tadase trying to lend me money to help with my trip here – and me refusing out of my stupid pride. I guess Ikuto had that in common – our pride, I mean.

After a small pause, he began again.

"I worked odd-jobs…mowing people's lawns, babysitting kids – anything I could do to make a quick buck. I cut down on food – to the fact where I was nearly starving myself. Every time I made money, I'd always save 10 percent for my way back home ticket. Though, sometimes when there was no work, I had to dip into it. I lived in a simple motel room – nothing fancy, hardly any charge to staying there, which was nice. Though however small the bill was, sometimes I couldn't afford it. I ended up using my entire 'take me home' fund for my final bill and then I hit the streets.

"There, I did whatever I could. I had to sleep in an alley – I was becoming a basic hobo. One day, when I was curled up, completely alone and freezing, Souma-kun came. He was drunk out of his fucking mind – pardon my French – anyone could see that. So, I took care of him. I lent him my coat, because it was a cold night, and he ended up sleeping on the alley floor. I did whatever I did to make him comfortable. When he woke up the next morning, he looked at me, and said 'did you take care of me when I was drunk out of my mind?' And I returned with 'yeah, what of it?' I probably could have been nicer – but I had hardly any sleep, give me a break. Though, despite my rudeness, he smiled. He said that I seemed like a nice guy who's had some hard breaks. So, he offered me a job. I didn't think – I just took it. I mean, of course I didn't know that soon I'd be stripping for girls, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do."

Ikuto paused once to take a breath, and then came to tell the conclusion of his tale.

"I got back my motel room. Added some upgrades, had a nicer way to live. I slowly got back my health and was able to eat every night. You don't understand, having the luxury of basic essentials, until you lose them. But, I do now, so now I cherish things a lot more. I still have my fund – I was about two hundred dollars away from a ticket, really. Then you came along…" He turned, and I could tell he was staring at me – or more so, the curtain.

"I assume you're dragging me home, aren't you?"

"You mad?" I teased, smiling a little. Though, Ikuto's story haunted me. I could see him, sleeping in an alley, all alone, struggling to keep warm…

"Well, I wouldn't say _mad_," he said, chuckling once without humor. He turned on his heel, bent down, picked up the washcloth, got back oh his feet, and handed it to me.

"Thank you," I said, gratefulness saturating my voice. I stuck my hand out the side, and pulled it back in when he handed over the cloth. He turned again, towards the door to the rooms, and paused when he was about to open the door.

"You know," he said. "You're staying in my bed tonight."

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion as I registered what he said. All traces of pity for him disappeared like that.

"No!" I yelled. "No way in hell!"

Ikuto rolled his eyes. "You don't have a choice. Utau crashed on a bed that Souma-kun was already on, so they're together. And I don't dare wake Utau…so…" he trailed off. "And I'm not sleeping on the floor, its cold." That seemed to be his last word. He opened the door, walking out it swiftly, and then closing it behind him. My head was suddenly filled with the vision of when Ikuto used to stay with me, when we were both kids. Yeah, that had gone well.

Well, I vowed to myself. This time I'd be more mature about it. We were both adults now, and I would prove how responsible and mature and adult-ish I could be. I washed calmly all over – and, as a second thought, washed my now soaked hair. I turned off the faucet, stepping ever so lightly out of the shower, grabbed the towel off a hook bolted to the wall, and wrapped it snuggly around me. It was then that I realized – I forgot my pajamas and toothbrush.

I walked to the door in a few strides, and opened it a notch.

"I-Ikuto…" I said quietly, my voice not hiding my embarrassment.

The light was still on it 'our room', which surprised me. I would have thought Ikuto would have gone to sleep by now.

"You need these, don't you?" he said, holding something in his hand. I peered through the tiny, _tiny_ crack in the door at what he was holding. Sure enough, it was exactly what I needed.

"P-please, don't make me come…" Ikuto stood up, walking over to the door, and held out my pajamas and toothbrush. I opened up the door a little more, gladly taking my things, and then closed the door in his face.

"T-thank you!" I added as an afterthought, still unable to keep the stutter out of my voice.

"No problem," Ikuto said coolly. I heard his quiet footsteps walk away – then nothing. He must be in bed. By now, my body was dry, so I put my tank top and boxer shorts on easily. My hair was a different story. Although it was still wet, I took the hotel hairbrush and combed through my knots, wincing every time one came out. When that was done, I brushed my teeth thoroughly, removing all traces of plaque and leaving me with a citrus aftertaste. Ignoring my wet hair, I tip toed out of the bathroom, opened up the door slowly and was surprised to see that – Ikuto was _still _awake.

"Don't you ever sleep?" I asked honestly, making my way over to the bed and relaxing on it. The bed was like a cloud – so great after the long day.

He turned a page in a book I hadn't noticed before, dog-eared the page, then turned to look at me.

"I'm not tired," he said simply. He reopened the book and went back to reading. I raised an eyebrow at him, though I didn't ask any more questions. I think he opened up enough for one night. I went under the covers, closing my eyes finally. I felt all the stress and tension leave my body almost immediately, and I sighed in happiness. The last thing I registered were the moving of my covers, a kiss on my forehead, and a murmured goodnight before I fell completely asleep.

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**A/N: God this chapter is loooooonnnng. Aren't you guys happy I finally updated? Note: I am too lazy to edit this, so if you notice any grammar mistakes, point them out in a **_**nice**_** way, would you? Thanks.**

**I really don't want to be that girl that actually asks for 'x amount of reviews' before she updates, but I don't always get what I want.**

**45 reviews total before I even think about updating. And I'm serious about this too.**

**Happy holidays, all! **

**~Chrissy-chan / ABeautfulDream **


	7. A Life Changing Event

Chapter Seven

"A Life Changing Event"

_A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I lost all interest in Amu and Ikuto for awhile. But, I read the final manga chapter and it reimbursed a lot of my faith in them. _

_Plus hearing about Shugo Chara! Encore made me happy too._

_I doubt Ikuto will be in it, but I still hope. _

_I hope you enjoy. _

_~ABeautifulDream_

_Ikuto's POV_

I awoke to the sound of birds chirping, the smell of fresh coffee being made, and a bright light in my face.

L_eft the blinds open last night. _That would explain the excessive amount of sunshine.

As my eyes adjusted, I looked around the room. The walls were a-drab looking beige, to be completed with some dull artwork. The windows were covered by green, casual curtains that had no design whatsoever. The floor was carpeted in red from wall to wall, and I had a strange premonition that they'd be awfully itchy. The room had a few dressers and an armoire, but they were completely empty, so I figured that no one had been here for awhile. A few feet away from the bed was a brown, polished table holding a wide – screen T.V. It looked so out of place in the shabby room that I simply stared at it for awhile, almost expecting it to disappear and be replaced by one that was ten inches high.

I rolled out of bed, my bare feet touching the floor. Would you believe I was right about the carpet? Well I was. I knew this couldn't be my regular room, because it looked nothing like it, so, where exactly was I? The simple question was answered from one look at a not-so-simple girl. I sucked in a breath, the noise being the only sound in the room, as I saw _her._ Amu Hinamori was laying down peacefully in bed, fast asleep, her hair sprawled out over the pillow, like pink seaweed. She was almost completely covered by a red bedspread, but her head poked out over the top of it. I realized at once that this wasn't the girl I left behind to go after my father, but in fact, a full grown woman. And…

She was as beautiful as I remembered her.

So seeing her after all that time hadn't changed anything.

I didn't know if I should be happy, or saddened by that.

Amu turned over in her sleep to face the opposite direction, away from me. As soon as her face was no longer in my vision, holding me in place along with my thoughts, the events from the previous night came flooding back to me. She showed up at the club for me…she saw me, half naked... (a fella's gotta earn money, don' he?) we all went to a hotel that Utau, my sister, had paid for. And a friend followed me – Kuukai. I was sure I had seen Utau and Kuukai hitting it off last night, and I was internally glad for that. Never have I known her to have any serious love interests that were outside the family, so I figured this was good for her.

I walked out, pausing a step after the doorframe, (in nothing but my boxers and an old shirt, aka, my pajamas), into the kitchen. The kitchen was much better decorated, and much larger than the bedroom I had stayed in. It was tiled in white and black, something that must've been expensive – but it was worthwhile. The refrigerators were off to the left side of the room, taking up a large amount of the space, silently keeping the food inside cold, while there was a table in the dead center of kitchen. At the table sat two quiet people, Utau, and Kuukai. Utau was wearing an expression that said "Back away slowly," while Kuukai was grinning mischievously. I had learned fast to be wary of that smile.

My guess was that Utau wasn't so happy to wake up to find Kuukai in her bed.

Kuukai was the first person to notice my entrance. He looked up, grinned at me, and then motioned me to sit down. I carefully and noiselessly closed the bedroom door behind me and made my way to the table. I sat down, quietly, grabbing the coffeepot to pour myself a cup. Utau looked at me as I did so – no – not looked, _glared._ I couldn't figure out why she looked so irritated until I got up, hoping there was some bread in the kitchen for toast, my chair screeching on the linoleum, that she covered her ears in annoyance and shot a baleful glare in my general direction.

"She's hung-over," Kuukai said matter-of-factly, his grin growing wider. Utau shot him a glare, and it was then that I noticed how red her eyes looked. Kuukai wasn't just being an ass. I felt a pang of sympathy for my sister, but then I realized we all had to learn at sometime about the aftereffects of alcohol. I continued into the next part of the kitchen, being as quiet as possible while opening the drawers to look for bread so I didn't cause my sister further irritation. I was pleased to find that the kitchen had come fully stocked, so I could make my breakfast.

"You know," Kuukai said quietly, knowing I would hear. "You think in a suite as good as this that there would be better decorated bedrooms."

A quick half-smile flashed over my face, and I was about to reply – that was, before I caught the look on his sister's face. The "say-one-word-and-you-are-dead" look. Oh, sure. Get mad at me. Jeez, _sisters. _I made my way back to the table, toast partly in mouth, and sat down quietly as possible. Apparently, it wasn't quiet enough, because Utau looked up, prepared to say something evil. I knew my sister pretty well, and when she got that expression in her eyes…watch out. I finished the rest of my toast in a quick few bites, wondering if I could make a quick escape, but before I could do so, Utau spoke. And when Utau spoke when she was irritated…well…

The best words to describe her were 'mind ninja.'

"So, did you and Amu have a fun time last night?" It took a few seconds, but the words finally sunk in, and I stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over the table. I saw Utau wince in pain again, but this time I didn't feel bad for her. Serves her right.

"I'll go wake up Amu," I said, stiffly walking away. I could hear murmurs behind me, and that just flared up my anger even more. Opening the bedroom door, I stalked through the room, stopping just above her bed. Amazingly, despite the noise I made, she still hadn't awoken. I felt myself unconsciously smile, letting my "outer façade" slip away to reveal my true character. The character that could feel, instead of just being a mindless drone with a strong front.

My thoughts were interrupted when Amu stirred, turning over in her sleep and then mumbling something incomprehensible. I held my breath, feeling panic wash over me at the thought that she knew I was watching her; (I would never hear the end of the nickname pervert.) As if in a dream – like state, I reached out, touching Amu's cheek with the back of my hand, with almost no pressure whatsoever. A smile stretched over her features, illuminating her face, even in her light sleep. Could she feel me then? Sense me? I sighed internally, knowing that I was getting too far ahead of myself. Amu had known me forever – she and I were friends – she and I had a bond. So. What? That didn't measure up to anything to what I felt for her.

But, somewhere deep inside me, I knew that if she had no feelings for me whatsoever - that every ounce of friendship had disappeared over the years – I would still be okay. But I knew that if she was unhappy, I'd do anything to change that around. Now, the next step was admitting that to her.

I would have continued standing over her, watching over her protectively, but alas, fate did not see that so. Amu turned, yet _again_, (Did she turn as much in deep sleep? How did I not feel her move?), and she murmured something without seeming to give a second thought to it.

"Pervert."

I knew she hadn't awoken, but it had still soured the moment, so I took my hand off her cheek, and instead picked up the pillow I had used last night. I walked over the doors that lead to the bathroom and – _whop – _ threw the pillow directly at Amu's face.

Amu startled awake, arms flailing slightly, her eyes darting around, and her hair a mess. I internally grinned at the way Amu woke up, but the outer façade me had already kicked in – leaving me unable to smile externally.

"Time to get up," I called in a sweet, mocking tone. Amu's head turned to me at the sound of my voice, her eyes focusing in on mine. I turned on my heel, walking into the bathroom, preparing to close the door, but…then decided to have some fun. "And…don't follow me in, Amu. If you want to talk about what's been going on these past few years we can wait until the plane ride." I saw emotion flash in Amu's still waking up face, and I barely had time to close the door before the pillow hit the door.

When I stepped out of the shower, ten minutes later, the first thing I did was grab a towel and wrap it around my waist. I walked over to the mirror, rubbing over it with my hand, getting rid of the condensation. I shook out my wet hair, specs of water flying everywhere, and when that was done, I brushed my teeth. Once that was done I was nearly done being dry, so I removed my towel, searching for the clothes I had previously stripped from.

"_Strange…"_ I thought to myself. My clothes weren't where I left them. I looked around the area, and all over the bathroom, but my clothes were no where to be seen. The saying, "_Well it's not like it could just up and walk away,"_ came to mind.

My concentration was lost when a fist banged loudly on the door. I looked at the door in annoyance, already knowing who would be on the other side.

"Come on, Ikuto," Amu's voice called out to me. "What's taking so long?"

"Just a minute," I called out hastily, quickening my search.

"Oh, Ikuto…" Amu called out sweetly, innocently. The muscle in my jaw twitched in irritation at the thought of what was to come, as I silently continued to look. "Are you by any chance…missing something?"

I looked at the door for a moment, stopping my search, when something dawned on me. No. She wouldn't. She wouldn't _dare._

"Amu…" I said - my voice low and dangerous. "Did you _take my clothes?_"

"What would give you that idea Ikuto?" As she spoke, I grabbed my towel in my hand, wrapping it around my waist securely.

"I'm going to tell you one last chance, Amu." I said quietly, enunciating every syllable. "Give. Me. Back. My. Clothes."

"And if I don't?" I made my way to the doorway, placing one hand on the knob.

"Then I'll do _this." _I turned the knob, running at Amu with as much speed as possible while the towel would still stay wrapped around me. Amu squealed, trying quickly to take a defensive position, but her reflexes had nothing against someone who used to have a cat chara. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her close to my chest. I smirked down at her as her amber eyes widened, and spoke as seductively as possible.

"Is there anything I can do that will change your mind, _Amu_?" I continued staring down at her, my face clear. I could almost hear her heart bursting out of her chest. I almost smiled in response, but I quickly caught myself before I did that. There was no point in denying that I was glad I could still manage to do this to her.

"A…h…d…" Amu desperately tried to form a sentence as I got ever closer.

"Where are my clothes? Please tell me…" I said, giving her a sad stare.

"I…in the dresser," she said meekly.

Once I go the response I wanted, I let go of Amu, letting her down carefully. I walked over to the dresser, and, sure enough, the clothes were there. I held the clothes close to me in one hand, adjusted my towel with the other, and I walked back to the bathroom. But, before I went in, I bent down my head and kissed Amu's cheek. _You may be a grown-up, Amu, but you've got the maturity level of a teenager. _

_Amu's POV_

It took me a few seconds after Ikuto kissed my cheek to realize what just happened. After it had registered, I flamed up again, and automatically, I picked up the first thing I could find and threw it at Ikuto. But, just like before, Ikuto closed the bathroom door before it hit. All I wanted was to give Ikuto a little payment for last night – and look what happened. He ended up turning the tables and teasing _me._ And it wasn't easy, stealing his clothes. I had to wait for the exact right moment – the moment when he closed his eyes to put on the shampoo (the moment I heard the bottle's soft noise and smelt the familiar, generic smell of shampoo) before I made my move. And I had to be fast and silent too.

I sighed, grinning to myself. Only Ikuto could do something like that. Some part of me acknowledged that I was glad that hadn't changed. I grabbed my clothes out of my suitcase, changing out of my pajamas and into my day clothes hastily before Ikuto could come out. I left my suitcase – completely packed up – sure that one of Utau's crew would pick them up later. Heading out, I checked out the scene as I looked around, surprised between the plain looking bedroom and the well put together kitchen. Utau sat at the table, holding her head in her hands and wearing a pair of sunglasses. I chuckled throatily, at Utau shot me a glare. I know who's hung-over, I thought to myself in a sing-song voice. I didn't say it out loud for fear Utau would kill me and Kuukai would just laugh and begin to joke around, which would just make her more annoyed.

I was more like Kuukai than I thought when I originally met him. He and I were a lot alike, with the way we acted. He was sweet and charming, and I had been told by Tadase that I was –

"Shit," I mumbled aloud, not caring about what pain I caused Utau. I ran to the phone on the wall, dialing Tadase's cell without a second thought. I saw Kuukai shoot me a look that easily said what-are-you-doing, but I ignored him. The phone began to ring and I began to silently pray.

"Pick up pick up pick up pick up pick up pick up…" the chant continued endlessly as the dial tone continued to bah-ring.

"Hi, this is Tadase; you've caught me at a bad time…."

Damn.

"But just leave your name, number, and reason why you are calling and I'll get back to you soon as possible."

La-Di-Dah…

The phone operator's prerecorded, monotonous voice kicked in. "If you would like to page this phone number, press five now."

No, I wanted to leave a message.

"If you would like to leave a message…"

Now this is what I was looking for…

"Wait for the beep and begin talking. When you are finished recording…"

I blocked everything out after that for a few moments. I've heard it all before.

Beep.

Still blocking things out…

I felt a familiar arm snake around my waist and mummer something in my ear. "Generally leaving a message involves talking, Amu…" Ikuto said in a low, seductive voice. I startled myself out of unconsciousness, realizing that the tape was already running.

"Oh, hey, I just wanted to let you know that Ikuto's fine, we found him –"

"I would say that I'm a little more than fine…"

_Couldn't he at least wait until I finished the message to make comments with double meanings? _

"And we are headed back today, as soon as possible…Oh, and…um, I just wanted to let you know that –"

The tape cut off, and I realized after a few seconds that I was out of time. I sighed, realizing that it was pointless to recall him and tell him I loved him. He knew that, didn't he? I snapped my cell phone shut, laying it down on a nearby table.

"And who was that?" Ikuto asked - general curiosity evident in his voice, arm still around my waist.

I opened my mouth to respond, but then I fell silent. Why couldn't I just say his name? Ta-da-say. Tadase.

"Cat got your tongue, princess?"

I blushed profoundly at the nickname, and then stalked away, Ikuto reluctantly (or so it seems) letting me go. I ignored the looks from Kuukai and Utau (who I assumed was slowly feeling better, because she lost the sunglasses) and sat down at the table. I picked up a piece of toast to nibble on, Ikuto sitting smoothly next to me, but then I found that I had no appetite.

Ikuto, Utau, Kuukai and I sat on Utau's plane, preparing for takeoff. This was Utau's second plane, (out of three, I recently found out), and this one was more suited for the average family. This was something you'd see in the average movie – not that I'd seen too many of those. Though, as the plane whirred to life, I couldn't help but wonder what Utau's third plane was like. After a long argument between Utau and Kuukai, Utau used her womanly charms (or that's what _she _calls them – I for one more so think that it goes along the lines of "flirting.") to convince Kuukai and her to make a temporary alliance. She and Kuukai devised a plan and made me bet that if I lost a game that they made up, she and Kuukai would get he first class, all by their selves. Simply put – I lost. Who knew that the game happened to be a ramen eating contest? So Ikuto and I were stuck in the economic class – though heaven knows why Utau and Kuukai needed a whole cabin to themselves. All in all – I was awfully cautious about going into the first class area.

So Ikuto and I sat next to each other in middle class, and felt an overwhelming sense that I had – A) I had forgotten something. B) That something was going to happen. Call it woman's intuition or whatever you want to call it, but I couldn't help but feel tense. I just wanted to be up in the air, on the way back home, in Tadase's arms as he held me close, never letting me go…

But, even thinking of Tadase made me nervous, for some reason. The same feeling that took over when Ikuto was about to find out about Tadase's and my relationship. But, why would I be nervous at the thought of Ikuto finding out about us? Sure, Ikuto could be awfully overprotective of me sometime, but that had never made me nervous before. But, then again, I had never really dated seriously with Ikuto in my life…

I shook the thoughts away that we presenting themselves in my head, and I turned towards the window. I hadn't even noticed that we had rolled lazily out of the gate and were beginning to pick up speed. Ikuto was right; I did define the phrase, 'spaced out.' It was then that the sound hit me – and when the sound hit me – it hit hard. I opened my mouth open wide, hoping to un-pop my ears, but I had no luck. I closed my eyes, hoping to just block out the noise, and soon I began to drift away, along with the noises of the shaking plane (which made me extremely nervous.) But, as my luck would have it, as soon as sleep began to find me, I was disturbed by – well, take a wild guess. Go on, try.

"What, you didn't get enough sleep last night?"

My eyes opened in annoyance, but I didn't see Ikuto, so I knew that he was behind me.

"I, for one, did not get very much sleep last night, because of a certain cat boy talking in his sleep…" my sentence was cut off when Ikuto plopped down next to me in the middle seat, his arm brushing mine. I looked anywhere but to my left, and I found that we were already in the air. I looked up above me and the 'fasten seat belt' button was no longer lit up.

Spaced out – thy name is Amu Hinamori.

"And what exactly did I say, _princess?_"

Uh oh, caught in the act.

I began to rack my brain for a suitable lie, but after several moments of not coming up with anything, a triumphant look crossed Ikuto's features. He won the battle, but not the war. After that, the two of us fell into a comfortable silence, though there was still so much to say.

"What's wrong, Hinamori-san?" Ikuto whispered in my ear, his lips brushing up against my ear. I didn't care for that name quite either. In fact, I think I preferred being called princess. He first called me princess ten years ago, on a Halloween trip, and the nickname sort of…stuck.

As I turned my head, I felt his warm breath against my face. He was so…close. I could almost _feel_ his scent coming off of him. I looked up in his eyes, and I froze. His eyes had always, since we were kids, had a hypnotic quality about them. In fact, it was one of the first things that I had noticed about him…

_Flashback, Amu's POV_

"Amu…" said one of my childhood friends, tugging on my arm. "Come on, come play with us…" I looked around me, and I automatically knew where I was – elementary school, age 9. I was in third grade again, out on the playground. It wasn't like I _was _the nine year old girl, more so I was seeing myself as a child from a distance, but yet, up close. Like I could see what was going on, like I was standing right next to me, but I was completely invisible to everyone. Anything I did, the little me did, including pinching my arm to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I'd bet the measly remains of my bank account on the fact that I could feel anything she was feeling too. It was….strange.

But I had always been good with strange.

I was sitting on the edge of the sandbox and there were children playing all around me, shouting, laughing, and all around just having a good time. The sun was shining above us, and I felt horribly content. But…I could feel someone watching me that wasn't happy…

I looked up and there was Ikuto, in his 12 year old body. He was staring at me with an unfathomable look in his eyes, and I felt a pang of sympathy wash over me. I already knew what I was going to do, and so I stood up, brushing the sand off my skirt to gain some dignity. I strode over to where Ikuto stood, under an oak tree in the shadows, and looked him daringly in the eyes. I could feel the stares of others on my back behind me, but I only noted it in the very back of my mind. Already, I was beyond anything happening to me. Embarrassingly, my nine year old self noted that he was cute.

I noticed, as I got closer to the older boy, that he was quite attractive. He had shaggy blue hair that was un-gelled and perfectly mussed up, in fact, it looked like he had just woken up and shook out his head. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had. He skin was pale white, and it reminded me of the moon. Just how much time did he spend in the shadows? He wore the same school uniform as everyone else, but he added his own style, like a cross at his neck in the form of a choker and on his wrist as a bracelet. I could tell that it was more of a fashion statement than religious one, and I also saw that only he could pull of that look. The last thing I noticed, and by far it was the most alluring – were his eyes. Midnight blue? Sapphire? I couldn't quite describe them, but they had a certain magnetic quality to them. The kid stared back into my eyes, and I could find no emotion in their depths.

He gave off a certain aura, and I could see why he was alone most of the time. It was clear the message – back off. Well, even though I could read the signs, I still stood my ground.

"What do you want, kid?" he said, staring down at me with an edge of contempt in his voice. He was at least a head taller than me, so I had to look up so I could keep eye contact.

"Listen, I see you alone over there, and I just wanted to let you know –"

"I don't care _what _your friends put you up to, go –"

"My friends didn't put me up to this," I interrupted. The way he was talking to me brought out someone daring that I didn't know I had in me "I just wanted to introduce myself -"

"Hey, Tsukiyomi," someone called from behind us.

Ikuto looked away from me, and I instantly missed looking at his pretty eyes, to the person behind me, but I just continued to stare at his chest.

"Flirting with a third grader?" One of the guys said. A different one that called out to 'Tsukiyomi.'

"You are such a rebel, man," said the first person who talked. Tsukiyomi rolled his eyes.

"Buzz off," I heard him mutter, and I involuntarily giggled.

"Alright, man," said number two. I still hadn't turned around.

"Have fun," said number one, adding a sexual implication that I hadn't noticed when I was a child. I rolled my eyes, and I noticed that my younger self did too. Kids these days…

After a few moments of silence, I looked back up at the one what was supposedly a loner. I flushed in embarrassment when I realized that he was looking down at the top of my head, and the kid gave a certain kind of smile to me that I couldn't really place the name of. Grin? Quirk?

"You thought I was an alley cat, huh?" said Tsukiyomi. "A free bird."

"Good guess," I mumbled, suddenly embarrassed.

The kid ruffled my head and felt a pout form at my lips. When he noticed the expression on my face, he chuckled, and the sound was all silver. I made a note to commit the sound the memory, though I hoped I wouldn't have to. I wanted to hear it again, I wanted to see him again. I turned around at began to walk back to my class, but he stopped me.

"Wait…" he said. After a moment, he continued with, "I don't even know your name."

I gave him a blinding smile and said, "I am Hinamori. Hinamori, Amu."

"Nice to meet you Amu," he said. I liked the way he said my name, though I wasn't sure why he called my by my first. "And my name it Tsukiyomi. Tsukiyomi, Ikuto."

I nodded and the smile died down a little, though I could still feel it in place. "Will I see you again?"

He nodded, and then seemed to lose interest in the conversation, because he walked away from me, going to sit down at the base of the tree we were under. I turned too, but in the opposite direction and once again began the walk back. It was then that I knew what Ikuto's type of smile was.

A smirk.

I was awoken from my trance by a whack to the head.

I flinched in pain and rubbed the spot where I was hit, and then I looked over at my assaulter.

"What?" I asked in annoyance, my voice a tad too loud.

Ikuto didn't answer; in fact he was looking away from me, his eyes closed. _Why I oughta…_I mumbled in my head. As I watched him, he seemed to come alive.

"What are you thinking?" He said quietly, almost mumbling. He had been wanting my attention a lot over the past while. Perhaps – maybe – did he miss me? Then why did he leave?

I looked at his form, almost expecting him to open his eyes, but he remained motionless.

"W…what?" I said after a moment. Did I imagine that he asked me that?

"Just answer it," he responded. There, now I knew I saw his lips move.

"Honestly…" I said. Why not tell the truth? "I was thinking about…when we first talked in the school yard."

"Hmm…" he said unemotionally, drawing it out as he exhaled.

"What are you thinking about?" I said to him after a moment.

Finally his sapphire orbs opened, but they remained fixed on the ceiling. "Stuff."

"No, that's not fair!" I protested. His eyes turned to me. "I told you what I was thinking; now you have to tell me!"

Ikuto rolled his eyes at me in a condescending way, and that just fueled my temper. I whacked him in the forehead, like he did to me, and then turned away from him in a huff.

After a moment of me staring at the clouds as we rolled by, I heard him say, "I was thinking about the lock and the key."

I looked at him in surprise, forgetting my notion that I was not going to speak to him for the rest of the plane ride, and he was holding the key in his hand. It was exactly how I remembered it; it still even had a shine to it, like it had been polished. I had never heard of Ikuto taking so much care of something, besides his violin…

Speaking of which, where was the thing? Before I could ask, Ikuto opened his mouth and started to talk again. "Do you remember how we got these?"

My hand dove into my pocket and pulled out the Humpty Lock. How could I forget?

It was my 13th birthday party. There weren't kids screaming about or even loud music playing, it was just a few friends of mine and I gathered around my kitchen table, chewing on pieces of chocolate cake. I remembered that year that my Dad lost his job, so we couldn't afford much.

There was Ikuto, sitting next to me on my right, solemnly chewing on a carrot. I was surprised I even managed to get him to come. There was Tadase on my left, talking and laughing with another one of my friends, Kairi. There was Utau, sitting next to Kairi, with a look on her face that matched her brother's almost identically. And then my little sister, my parents, and a friend my sister was allowed to invite that I didn't know the name of.

When the doorbell rang, my mom went to the door, disappearing from sight and then coming back with a familiar man.

"Uncle Tsubaki!" I called cheerfully, running towards him and enveloping him in a hug around the waist. I heard a rumble of a chuckle in his chest as he looked down at me and ruffled my hair affectionately while his other arm wrapped around me in a return hug. Next to me, my Mother smiled, happy to see her brother, and my Father watched the boys at the table with a warning look in his eyes. He never did like when I brought home guys.

"Hey kiddo," Tsubaki murmured, releasing me from his grip as his hand dove in his pocket. I watched curiously, with wide eyes. He pulled out a small white box with a small silver bow on it, and handed it to me, smiling. "Give one of these to a person you really care about. Don't open the lock until you feel that it is right." I didn't grasp what he had meant, fully, but that was usually how he was. Although I wasn't supposed to open my presents until later, I opened it anyway, and there was the lock and the key.

"The Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key," Tsubaki said, his voice full of an ancient, almost undetectable magic. _Give it to a person you truly care about._

There was no doubt in my mind. I took the lock and key out of the box and shoved the lock in my pocket, then walked over to Ikuto daringly. He stared at me with eyes that were older than his fifteen year old state, that had it's usual bit of mischievousness in them and a hint of question. There was nothing else in the room as I held out my hand with the lock in it, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Will you take this?" I said quietly.

Ikuto robotically held out his hand, and I dropped the small key into his palm. He stared at it blankly. He didn't say thank you – he didn't say anything – but I thought I may have seen the foundation of a smile on his stoic face.

I could sense the shift in the atmosphere between us.

I didn't know what it meant, but the term "friends forever" seemed a bit more realistic now.

I was looking out the window again, Ikuto sitting next to me silently, when there was a change in the pressure of the cabin. The shift made both Ikuto and I look up, first at each other, then forward.

A heart stopping sound filled the air.

The sound of the captain.

"Ladies and gentleman, please fasten your seatbelt and put on your masks, and do your best to remain calm…"

Yellow breathing masks fell from the compartment above us, one for every seat in the cabin. I snatched mine and put it over my face, my heart racing in panic as I noticed the plane begin to nosedive into the ocean. I didn't realize I was hyperventilating until Ikuto reached over the seat, calmly taking my hand and making me look at him. We were in a plane crash, falling fast and surely to Earth as lights flashed dangerously around us as the electricity was cut, and yet I had never felt so safe.

The plane hit the ocean with a loud _foom, _I remembered a horrible pain in the back of my head, and then I fell unconscious.

**How was it? Good, bad? I don't like it much, but it's up to you. I apologize, again, for not updating sooner.**

**Next – I'm seriously considering dropping this story, but if you want, I'll keep going. All it takes is a few good reviews.**

**All my best – ABeautifulDream**


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